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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1981-04-22, Page 1• M.ailhi.IgLabci • a Stigitr Vopy 350 WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22; 1981.. 24 'PAGES.' ,• 4. t . t • • 4 ' • Lucknow Village Couneil is requesting a copy of the Wingham .and District Hospital's 'financial statement which they intend to look over before committing any village money to the hospital's building *fund. The hospital's board chairman, Jack Kopas and Lucknow's representative on the board, ,Frank MacKenzie \attended council's March meeting to describe the building project and outline Lucknow's share of the cost. The project will provide for an expansion of 'the hospital's radiology and physiotherapy departments and laboratory with a small addition to the front of the hospital to house offices dislocated by the expansion of the other departments. Luck- • now's share of the cost is based on ,patient ratio and amounts to $6,000. Council decided at their April 14 meeting to request a copf of the hospital's financial • statement when Ab •Murray indicated he ' • wanted to know .how the hospital spends its money before Lucknow commits a contribu- tion to ,the project. • Murray had vommented at the council's March meeting that, while he believes the municipalities using the hospital must .. support the hospital, he does not like the idea that the Mi'nistry'of Health can declare • the hospital unviable and close with without the community having a Stiy. • Murray told council at last week's meeting he had heard frorn,a reliable source that , the executive director of the hospital; Norman , Hayes, has an excessive expense account and he would be interested in ,seeing hewthe hospital spends its money before' Makingfa • contribution to the _building project. ' . "When.I leavethis (council) table I Would like .tbe able tojustify some of the business we've done," observed' Murray. "1 ,knoW we have to, support the hospital. but I would like to know where the money is spent." Council passed a unanimous motion that the clerk -treasurer,. Alf Herbert write to the Wingham and District Hospital and request a copy of the hospital's financial statement. Elgin Street Maintenance • . In .other business,. Walter. Arnold,. a resident of Elgin Street, Lucknow, appeared beforecouncil to request that the town grader maintain Elgin: Street. Arnold told council, in the past, he has,, had to phone Reeve George-, Joynt to tell:him' the street requires grading before the road crew will do the job. He said the road: crew had been down to clearthe slush in the spring but had not gradedsthe street Yet this spring. Council assured him that the road crew would be informed that they aret�, maintain Elgin Street regularly as required. A\rnold also requested that -oottacil inform him what the level of the street will be when it, ig naved. He said he wants to landscape his property this summer and does not wish to do it again when the street is paved. Reeve GeOrge Joynt told Arnold he would have the., village's engineer, Burns Ross meet with him to discuss the problem the, next time he comes to Lucknow which will be' within the' next several weeks. Arnold also ,questioned council about the een$00001') 41he streetHe said a village byIa requireigniters and storm siviekibe built when the road, is constructed and Elgin #01..Sto receives interim raise By Henry Hess •Employees at the Wingham and District Hospital have been ttWarded.a nine per cent increase in wages and salaries, effective April 14. This is an interim salary adjust- ment and the final settlement probably will be higher. • The \interim increase was approved by the hospital board last week on the recomMen- dation of the finance and audit committee. Cottunittee chairman Dr. Al Williams noted that is a result of Protracted negotia- tions with the Canadian Union of Public Employees and a number of other unions representing nurses and hospital employess. the staff had not had a pay raise for 18 months. - (Employees at the Wingham hospital are not represented by a union, but the hospital traditionally has followed union settlements in setting wages and salaries4) • Dr. Williams tioted a final settlement will be delayed until the unions reach a contract agreement, but predicted the final figure will be more than the nine per cent interim raise. The board also :approved a 50 cent increase in the hourly rate for students, and casual einployees, raising it to $4.00 from $3.50 per hear. ° Board Member Raye Elmslie inquired why 4. the hospital pays these workers more than the provincial minimum wage. Treasurer Gordon Baxter explained the hospital traditionally has kept its rate 50 cents above the minimum wage, which will be rising to $3.50, and that the rate had not been changed since 'Novernber of 1979. He also noted that, becapse ofthe small number involved, the hospital does not differentiate between students and other casual workers. He said that. a number' of hospitals the •casual workers have joined a union and are getting paid a lot more. • Mrs. Elmslie also inquired what a • registered nurse will make following the nine per cent increase.' . Mr. Baxter reported the top rate for a nurse after sevep, years is now $1,676 per. month, • Increase ward rates In other finance committee business, the board , increased its standard ward rates to $137 per day from $125. as recommended by the Ministry. of Health. This is the rate charged to patients not covered by the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP). The standby rate paid to operating' room and x-rav employees for remaining on call was raised to $1.25 from, $1.00, which Executive Director Norinan Hayes said is still "quite a bargain". , The board agreed to write off a number of bad debts accumulated during the past year. However it was noted the write-off is purely an accounting measure and the hospital will continue efforts to collect from the delin- quern patients. •It also was pointed out the bad debts are less than a year ago. Many of the bad debts are a result of patients requesting semi -private rooms without having the insurance, to pay the ,extra charge, and then not paying it themselves, or of patients ordering an ambulance and then not paying the call fee. Anyone calling an ambulance for trans- portation to the hospital is charged a flat rate of $20 per call; if the trip is considered non-essential, the charge is doubled to $40. Dr. D. Jolly. a medical staff representative on the board. asked about the role of the hospital in dealing with "chronic abusers" of the ambulance service -- people who . . Turn to page 2* • Street has neither. Ab Murray told council he remembered when developer, Gerrie Glenn and his planner, Nick Hill, of Goderich met with council. about the Elgin Street development and told council, gutters were not necessary because the road leads towards the river. Hill told council all that was required was to terrace the roadside, sod it and the water would run along an open ditch to the river. said Murray. Reeve Joynt told. Arnold that his would be done when the road was paved. He pointed , out that Elgin Street' is not on' the road construction agenda for this year 'because there are roadS in the village which require maintenance and reconstruction prior to the paving of Elgin Street. Joynt said Elgin Street was not priority at this time and would be payed when money was available, Pernik Troller Home • Mr. and Mrs. Leland John met with , council to seek their approval to place a 60 „ 50, , .tir • , ;'f• • 004,.,• *04'.4 • foot by 12 foot trailer home oil a lot they will purchase on Napier Street. They told council • they plan to add a small addition to the trailer to make it a permanent home. Reeve George Joynt told Mr. and Mrs. John, trailers have not.been allowed in the village because there is no trailer park in Lucknow and trailers do.not conform with the village's • plan. There are exceptions to the rule and these trailers are used as permanent homes, he said. • Councillor Russell Whitby observed that the location is an outlying district of the • village and if the couple plans to make a permanent home of the trailer it wouldn't be like the trailer was sitting on wheelS. Whitby Said he would have no objections if the neighbdurs did not object. • . , Council passed a motion to permit the • location of the trailer in the village provided the •neighbours had no objections. The • clerk -treasurer is to question the n‘ighbours • concerning objections. • .?? ",;• „K14 • • ;• -* • ,,•Y• Rosemary Gilmore noticed her pet rabbit, Peter, Was catching; an extra long anoore Sunday morning, Could it be he was helpingthe. Easter Bunny deliver his eggs to area children the night before? Peter Is an old aegaiaintanee of the Easter Bunny since he delivered Peter to the Gilmore home as a special "easter egg" three years ago. tosemary says Peter Is an unusual rabbit. He likes to go for walks around the neighbourhood on a leash. [Sentinel Staff.Photo]. • • r,"